Artwork Description
Rocket Monkey Uncut Sheet Yellow Silkscreen Test Print by Dalek- James Marshall Hand-Pulled on Fine Art Paper Limited Edition Screenprint Artwork.
2025 Signed & Numbered Limited Edition of 5 Test Prints Artwork Size 18x24 Silkscreen Print
Rocket Monkey Uncut Sheet Yellow by Dalek (James Marshall) in Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork
Rocket Monkey Uncut Sheet Yellow is a 2025 silkscreen test print by American artist James Marshall, known professionally as Dalek. This print, produced in a signed and numbered limited edition of five, measures 18 by 24 inches and was hand-pulled on fine art paper provided by the French Paper Company. The yellow background is bold and electric, serving as the launchpad for four identical renderings of Dalek’s Rocket Monkey figure. These uncut sheets are typically used in the print production process to evaluate color alignment, layer accuracy, and visual balance. Far from being throwaway proofs, test prints like this one hold a unique place in Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork for capturing process as part of the final piece. Each screen registration mark, alignment target, and color note serves as a visible record of the print’s creation, transforming what is often hidden behind the scenes into a collectible object of its own.
Character Design and Graphic Energy
Rocket Monkey represents a stylistic evolution of Dalek’s early Space Monkey character, rendered with a streamlined silhouette and exaggerated cartoon proportions. The figure appears to be floating or hovering with the aid of a backpack-like structure, one hand holding a container that emits a curling tongue or stream of vapor. With large circular eyes and a pink tongue that curves outward like smoke, the character carries both innocence and intensity. The repetition of the image across the uncut sheet creates a rhythmic visual field that references both sticker culture and factory production. This setup speaks directly to graffiti’s mass-distribution mindset, where repetition and reproduction enhance visual dominance. Set against a pure yellow background, the turquoise, pink, green, and black inks pop with unmistakable clarity. The design is clean but retains the punk urgency and joyful absurdity that have become signatures of Dalek’s contributions to Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork.
Process Visibility and the Test Print Format
What makes Rocket Monkey Uncut Sheet Yellow particularly compelling is its transparency. Test prints are often used by screen printers to refine alignment and saturation before the final edition is produced. Dalek embraces this transitional stage, turning it into an intentional work. The registration marks and Pantone notes along the edges are printed data that would usually be trimmed off, but here they remain intact, reminding the viewer of the mechanical and manual labor involved in creating the image. This choice celebrates the silkscreen method and roots the work firmly in the traditions of street art, where process is often as important as product. The raw nature of the format speaks to graffiti’s improvisational quality, while the precision of the final image reflects Dalek’s disciplined, design-driven approach.
Positioning in Contemporary Urban Print Culture
Rocket Monkey Uncut Sheet Yellow exemplifies how Street Pop Art & Graffiti Artwork can blend mass production and fine art without losing its conceptual edge. By framing a production-stage object as finished artwork, Dalek draws attention to the stages of making that are typically invisible. It also challenges viewers to see beauty in repetition, imperfection, and structure. The small edition size adds exclusivity, while the content and format maintain accessibility through visual humor and street-level attitude. As with much of Dalek’s work, this piece offers cultural commentary through character-driven imagery, expanding the language of graffiti beyond lettering into full symbolic universes. Rocket Monkey floats above its cartoon context, part avatar, part design experiment, and part critique of how images are produced and consumed in both the streets and the studio.
